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Posts Tagged ‘policy’

Getting to know your auto insurance needs

September 21st, 2009 Lucas No comments

We all know that auto insurance is needed and mandated by our state for the protection of motorists, car owners and drivers. If you are a safe driver, then you would know the importance of getting not just the basic insurance that is required by law and consider other options that will help you prepare when things go wrong especially in auto vehicular accidents. Aside from the trauma that one could get form auto vehicular accidents, the mountains of bills that comes with it can be a pain in the pocket and add insult to the injury.

The first thing that you need to know when purchasing an insurance policy is to know your state laws. Every state has a different requirements native to their rules and regulation. For example, the law in Virginia is very much different from the law in New Hampshire when it comes to auto insurance. All 47 states in the US would require liability insurance and for some states like Florida, Maryland and Michigan requires a Personal Injury Protection (PIP). The minimum amount that you have to pay for the insurance is dictated by the state law but that does not mean that you could just get the minimum. Additional coverage is greatly encouraged for all motorists to have wider coverage and protection.

There are a lot of auto-insurance policies and coverage and knowing your option can help you in deciding which one best fits your needs. With all the auto insurance companies around, there are some that would truly stand out from the rest in terms of their packages. Once you know what you need, and the purpose for the type of insurance then you will be guided as to what insurance is the best to purchase. This is also helpful in knowing how much money you need to spend and how much money you need to add for wider coverage.

Minimum liability is the least amount of money that you have to pay for the policy. This amount is determined by the state law. This means that you do not have to pay as much for a minimum liability. One thing that you should take note off is that when you really need the insurance and the amount is not enough to cover the personal injury then  there is a big possibility that your other personal assets would be at stake. Lawyers could file a claim against your other assets and risk losing more than paying for the amount of higher insurance. It is also important to know that your other insurance like health and homeowners insurance can pay for damages that are caused by a vehicular accident.  For example, if you have comprehensive health coverage then most likely you do not need to purchase a higher Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or more than what is actually required. Knowing your other insurance coverage would save you money and save you from the trouble of purchasing unnecessary coverage.

It is also important for you to know your vehicle because some policies are based on what type of car you own. The more expensive your car is, the more you have to pay. Mathematically speaking, if your car is less than $2,000 then you can save by not purchasing a comprehensive and collision coverage. However if your car is more than $50,000 then you can maintain such a big investment by paying for extra coverage. This makes sure that if your car is damaged and wrecked, you can afford to have it repaired or maybe even better, replace it.

Knowing these simple things would go along way especially when it comes to saving money, protecting your money, protecting your investment and more importantly protecting yourself.

Categories: Auto Insurance Tags: , , ,

Health insurance: A mother’s peace of mind

September 13th, 2009 Lucas No comments

As a mom, my priority is always the safety and health of my son.  I always pray and make it a point to do anything in my power for my son to be healthy and strong. In times that he does get sick, I always consult the doctor right away. It’s a good thing that he is part of the health insurance benefit that is part of the benefit from my work.  I could just imagine how much we would suffer financially if my family does not have health insurance and we would just rely and settle for what we can afford on treatments. My son is not sickly but it still gives me peace of mind knowing that when something happens, we could go in and out of the hospital to get some help.

Basically a health insurance is a contract between the person being insured and the insurance company. The amount that the insurance company would have to pay for medical expenses is called coverage and usually varies depending on what policy is agreed upon.  The policy will be the one determining how much premium or monthly payment to the insurance company. We all know that medical bills can be quite expensive and could even be a source of bankruptcy especially in the event of a major medical event, and having a health insurance would save you from this event.

The most common type of insurance is the group health insurance. This is the type of insurance that people can avail of from their employers and have coverage until you are 65. Normally, the premiums that are priced much lower than those who pay for individual health insurance plans because of the large numbers of the persons that are being insured. It is also the same price for everyone in the group no matter what the status of their health may be. Employers are not at all required to provide health insurance for employers but if they do not have one for their employees then most likely they will have a hard time finding employees.  This is the reason why many companies would boast about their health insurance coverage for their employees and it is also a way for showing that they do care. I know this for a fact because when I tried to search for work, one of the key things that I look for an employer is the offer for a god health insurance not only for me but for my whole family.

On the other hand, the individual health insurance is the most expensive type of insurance. This is for a person who does not have any type of coverage or have one but is not enough. This can be hard to avail because you will be asked for physical examinations and you will need to answer some set of questionnaire regarding your health and the health history of your family. That means that the more you need the insurance because of poor health, the higher you have to pay for the premium.

There are also other supplemental plans of insurance that one can avail of. These types of insurance are made to pay benefits in addition to whatever regular insurance policy you have. We also have to understand that cosmetic surgery, pre-existing health conditions, non-traditional treatments, homecare and private nursing, mental health treatment and drug benefit exclusions are not covered by health insurance. For example cosmetic surgery is not really a health concern and it is an elective surgery therefore the insurance company should not pay for it.

Having a health insurance is for our protection and peace of mind. I myself, can’t imagine what will happen if me and my family don’t have one. now I could concentrate about being a good mom without worrying about hospitalization.

Where do auto insurance companies base their premium charges?

September 5th, 2009 Lucas No comments

We all know how important it is to have auto insurance policies as well as we are all aware of the benefits that it provides to motorists and car owners. Chances are if you have a car, you already have an auto insurance that comes with the car. Primarily it is because most states requires and mandates for us to have auto insurance so we can use and drive the car on public highways. We are all aware of the rules and regulations that come with owning a car and driving. One thing that most of us are not aware off is where auto insurance companies base their premium charges?

Depending on where you are located, the insurance premiums for your car is either dictated by the government or determined by the auto insurance companies using the framework of regulations that was set by the government. Most of the time, the insurer have more freedom in setting the price in terms of physical damages as compared to the mandatory liability coverage.

There are some cases that the premium is not based on the government guidelines, and the cost of the premium will then be based on the calculations that are based on statistical data. There are factors to consider when calculating the cost and that includes car characteristic, the coverage that was selected, and the profile of the driver plus the usage of the car. The coverage selected normally involves deductibles, the limit and the covered perils. On the other hand, the usage of the car would depend on if it is used to commute to work or the predicted distance driven annually.

The profile of the driver would normally be composed of age, gender and driving history. Gender is an important basis because it could determine through statistical analysis future accidents that the insurance companies have to cover.  Men are proven to average more miles driven per year as compared to women. This means that proportionally speaking, they have higher accident involvement at all ages.  Insurance companies therefore give lower premiums to younger women than younger men. However, as they approach adulthood, the rates would now become unisex.

Age is also a big factor in determining the premium that you have to pay. You can notice a significant difference in price for teen age drivers who have no driving record. Normally, they are priced higher than adults with good driving records and history. One way of lowering down the cost for teenage drivers is to get good grades on safety driving courses. By the age of 25, the cost of insurance will be lowered and senior citizens who drive are also eligible to get retirement discounts. This is because they have lower average miles driven as compared to any other age group. The marital status is also another factor as singles is charged higher compared to a married driver.

The type of vehicle is also another basis. People who have sports car, muscle cars, SUV’s and motorcycles are charged higher because of higher accident rates. Luxury cars also have higher premiums because the cost of repair when it is damaged is higher than regular cars. Some insurance companies also consider the distance covered by through reasonable estimation, odometer based systems, GPS based systems and OBDII based systems.  The premise behind this is the higher your mileage and usage of the car, the higher premium you have to pay.

Knowing these factors would help us not only on lowering down the charges for auto insurance premiums but is also helps as a guideline when buying a car. With the recent economy and the need to save, it is important for us to find ways to fit the budget even in auto insurance premiums.